cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/4140813

The wild turkey is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey, which was originally derived from a southern Mexican subspecies of wild turkey. Wild Turkey habitats vary in different parts of continent, they include oak-hickory forest, pine-oak forest, cypress swamps, arid mesquite grassland, pinyon-juniper woodland, chaparral. They are usually found near some kind of oak (acorns are a favorite food). The best habitat includes a mixture of woodland and open clearings. Wild turkeys are opportunistic foragers and can eat a wide variety of leaves, grass, seeds, berries, insects, worms, snails, frogs, and small reptiles. This allows them to thrive in a variety of natural habitats. They also can inhabit residential areas, particularly where they are being fed. Male turkeys are called “gobblers” because of their famous call, which is their version of a rooster’s crow. It’s a loud, shrill, descending, throaty jumble of sound that lasts about 1 second. Males often gobble from their treetop roosts, where the sound carries better than on the ground. They use it to attract females and in response to other males—sometimes one male’s call can lead to a group of others joining in. Both males and females cackle as they fly down from roosts, give very short, soft purring calls while traveling on foot, and give a long series of yelps to reassemble a flock after it has become scattered. Young turkeys whistle three or four times to their flockmates when they’re lost. The strutting male periodically gives a chump sound followed by a low hum. The source of these sounds is not well understood. Here is a link so you can listen to them too.